The present invention relates to reference tools for assembly jigs for aircraft structures.
Assembly jigs for aircraft structures are substantially frameworks that support the various parts of an aircraft during the stage of assembly of the aircraft itself. Said frameworks form seats for precise positioning of the various parts so as to favour proper constraint thereof to the other parts of the aircraft present in the framework. It is known that in a jig in which an aircraft or aircraft structure is housed both in the assembly step of jigs for aircraft structures and for inspections for setting-up and routine monitoring of the aircraft.
Said tools are generally made up of different parts that are made of materials different from one another, which entails different and distinct production steps.
The time employed for assembling the tool makes the cost of said device high; moreover, errors during the step of production or of assembly may not guarantee the reliability of the end product.
The parts that make up the tool, as has already been said, are made of different materials, which consequently causes an additional cost for use of systems for the production of each individual part.
Said parts are made via milling, turning, and drilling operations, which appear expensive and require a long time for their production.
To connect the single parts, during the assembly step of the complete probe, different types of connection members are necessary in the form of constraints, gluing, and fixing, which involve the use of different devices, with the consequent increase in costs and in the production time.
Joining of materials with different chemical properties can lead to problems caused by the different degrees of thermal expansion of the materials themselves, which can jeopardize their use and the precision or reliability of said devices. Furthermore, for reasons of cost and time, said tools are frequently reused by the operators even though they are damaged, leading to possible errors of tolerances in the subsequent assembly operations.